Friday's shooting rampage at Los Angeles International Airport was an extreme example of a problem that has become all too common at our nation's airports: hostility toward the Transportation Security Administration and its officers.

TSA officers are subjected to verbal assaults daily and are physically attacked far too often by unruly airline passengers. They need better protection at the checkpoints so they can focus on protecting the flying public.

Despite popular misconception, TSA officers are not trained law enforcement officers, do not carry weapons and do not have arrest authority. If a passenger becomes violent or worse, the only thing TSA officers can do is call and wait for police backup.

Airport security at present is a patchwork of inconsistent procedures handled by more than 400 individual police departments across the country. At LAX, had it not been for the quick response by the Los Angeles Airport Police Division, the casualties could have been far worse. Nevertheless, no police officers were stationed at the checkpoint when a gunman began targeting TSA employees.

While police responded within 60 seconds, Transportation Security officer Gerardo Hernandez had already been killed, and two other officers and a civilian were shot. That's why we believe TSA should hire, train and deploy federal law enforcement officers at each of the nation's airports.

To be clear, we are not proposing to arm the 45,000 TSA officers who currently screen passengers and luggage. Those officers are not trained law enforcement personnel, and their jobs are tough enough. What we envision is a new class of trained law enforcement officers, integrated into TSA operations, whose primary responsibility is to deter security threats and ensure a rapid, consistent response when an incident occurs.

This would improve safety not only for our dedicated TSOs but also for the flying public. Under the 2001 law that federalized the passenger screening process, the TSA administrator already has the power to create such a position. Now is the time to act, before another tragedy occurs.

J. David Cox Sr. is national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers nationwide.